Peroxyl radicals Peroxidation, lipid

In the previous section, we have described some of the mechanisms that may lead to the fijrmation of lipid hydroperoxides or peroxyl radicals in lipids. If the peroxyl radical is formed, then this will lead to propagation if no chain-breaking antioxidants are present (Scheme 2.1). However, in many biological situations chain-breaking antioxidants are present, for example, in LDL, and these will terminate the peroxyl radical and are consumed in the process. This will concomitandy increase the size of the peroxide pool in the membrane or lipoprotein. Such peroxides may be metabolized by the glutathione peroxidases in a cellular environment but are probably more stable in the plasma comjxutment. In the next section, the promotion of lipid peroxidation if the lipid peroxides encounter a transition metal will be considered. 

The lung also possesses nonenzymatic antioxidants such as vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and uric acid. Vitamin E is lipid-soluble and partitions into lipid membranes, where it is positioned optimally for maximal antioxidant effectiveness. Vitamin E converts superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, and lipid peroxyl radicals to less reactive oxygen metabolites. Beta-carotene also accumulates in cell membranes and is a metabolic precursor to vitamin A. Furthermore, it can scavenge superoxide anion and react directly with peroxyl-free radicals, thereby serving as an additional lipid-soluble antioxidant. Vitamin C is widely available in both extracellular and intracellular spaces where it can participate in redox reactions. Vitamin C can directly scavenge superoxide and hydroxyl radical. Uric acid formed by the catabolism of purines also has antioxidant properties and primarily scavenges hydroxyl radical and peroxyl radicals from lipid peroxidation. 

Chain reactions that form lipid free radicals and lipid peroxides in membranes make a major contribution to ROS-induced injury (Fig. 24.8). An initiator (such as a hydroxyl radical produced locally in the Fenton reaction) begins the chain reaction. It extracts a hydrogen atom, preferably from the double bond of a polyunsaturated fatty acid in a membrane lipid. The chain reaction is propagated when O2 adds to form lipid peroxyl radicals and lipid peroxides. Eventually lipid degradation occurs, forming such products as malondialdehyde (from fatty acids with three or more double bonds), and ethane and pentane (from the w-terminal carbons of 3 and 6 fatty acids, respectively). Malondialdehyde appears in the blood and urine and is used as an indicator of free radical damage. 

Astaxanthin has demonstrated strong antioxidant behavior in a variety of in vitro studies. In organic solutions, astaxanthin is a potent quencher of singlet oxygen, an effective inhibitor of peroxyl radical-dependent lipid peroxidation, and an efficient peroxyl... 

Several powerful oxidants are produced during the course of metabolism, in both blood cells and most other cells of the body. These include superoxide (02 ), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), peroxyl radicals (ROO ), and hydroxyl radicals (OH ). The last is a particularly reactive molecule and can react with proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and other molecules to alter their structure and produce tissue damage. The reactions listed in Table 52-4 play an important role in forming these oxidants and in disposing of them each of these reactions will now be considered in turn. 

As strong antioxidants and scavengers of superoxide, hydroxyl and peroxyl radicals, tea flavonoids can suppress radical chain reactions and terminate lipid peroxidation (Kumamoto and Sonda, 1998, Yang and Wang, 1993). 

However, peroxidation can also occur in extracellular lipid transport proteins, such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL), that are protected from oxidation only by antioxidants present in the lipoprotein itself or the exttacellular environment of the artery wall. It appeats that these antioxidants are not always adequate to protect LDL from oxidation in vivo, and extensive lipid peroxidation can occur in the artery wall and contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (Palinski et al., 1989 Ester-bauer et al., 1990, 1993 Yla-Herttuala et al., 1990 Salonen et al., 1992). Once initiation occurs the formation of the peroxyl radical results in a chain reaction, which, in effect, greatly amplifies the severity of the initial oxidative insult. In this situation it is likely that the peroxidation reaction can proceed unchecked resulting in the formation of toxic lipid decomposition products such as aldehydes and the F2 isoprostanes (Esterbauer et al., 1991 Morrow et al., 1990). In support of this hypothesis, cytotoxic aldehydes such as 4-... 

Since the peroxyl and alkyl radicals are regenerated, the cycle of propagation could continue indefinitely or until one or other of the substrates are consumed. However, experimentally the length of the propagation chain, which can be defined as the number of lipid molecules converted to lipid peroxide for each initiation event, is finite. This is largely because the cycle is not 100% efficient with peroxyl radicals being lost through radical-radical termination reactions (Reaction 2.4 in Scheme 2.1). 

In this reaction scheme, the steady-state concentration of peroxyl radicals will be a direa function of the concentration of the transition metal and lipid peroxide content of the LDL particle, and will increase as the reaction proceeds. Scheme 2.2 is a diagrammatic representation of the redox interactions between copper, lipid hydroperoxides and lipid in the presence of a chain-breaking antioxidant. For the sake of clarity, the reaction involving the regeneration of the oxidized form of copper (Reaction 2.9) has been omitted. The first step is the independent decomposition of the Upid hydroperoxide to form the peroxyl radical. This may be terminated by reaction with an antioxidant, AH, but the lipid peroxide formed will contribute to the peroxide pool. It is evident from this scheme that the efficacy of a chain-breaking antioxidant in this scheme will be highly dependent on the initial size of the peroxide pool. In the section describing the copper-dependent oxidation of LDL (Section 2.6.1), the implications of this idea will be pursued further. 

As discussed earlier, the peroxyl radical has a key role to play in props ting lipid peroxidation. This molecule can be converted into a non-radical product, which cannot... 

The chain-breaking antioxidant must scavenge peroxyl radicals at a fester rate than they can react with another unsaturated fetty acid (reaction 2.10). The reverse reaction, whereby the antioxidant radical converts the lipid peroxide to a peroxyl radical, should also be slow (reaction 2.11 in Scheme 2.3). 

Scheme 2.3 The inhibition of iipid peroxidation by antioxidants, in this scheme, AH represents an antioxidant A, the antioxidant-derived radicai LH, the lipid substrate LOj, the peroxyl radical L, the alkyl radical LOOM, the lipid hydroperoxide.

Mouse peritoneal macrophages that have been activated to produce nitric oxide by 7-interferon and lipopolysac-charide were shown to oxidize LDL less readily than unactivated macrophages. Inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis in the same model was shown to enhance LDL oxidation (Jessup etal., 1992 Yates a al., 1992). It has recently been demonstrated that nitric oxide is able to inhibit lipid peroxidation directly within LDL (Ho etal., 1993c). Nitric oxide probably reacts with the propagating peroxyl radicals thus terminating the chain of lipid peroxidation. The rate constant for the reaction between nitric oxide and peroxyl radicals has recently been determined to be 1-3 X10 M" s (Padmaja and Huie, 1993). This... 

Oxidation of the fatty acids in an LDL particle shares many of the characteristics associated with lipid peroxidation in other biological or chemical systems. Once initiated peroxyl radicals are formed and this results in the oxidation of a-tocopherol to give the a-tocopheroyl radical (Kalyanaraman etal., 1990). This can be demonstrated by e.s.r. techniques that allow the direct observation of stable radicals such as the a-tocopheroyl radical. After the a-tocopheryl radical is consumed, lipid-derived peroxyl radicals can be detected after reaction with spin traps (Kalyanaraman etal., 1990, 1991). 

The potency of a chain-breaking antioxidant, which scavenges peroxyl radicals, will decrease as the concentration of lipid peroxides in the LDL particle increases (Scheme 2.2). This is illustrated in the experiment shown in Fig. 2.3 in which the antioxidant potency of a peroxyl radical scavenger (BHT) decreases as a function of added exogenous hpid hydroperoxide. If the endogenous lipid peroxide content of LDL were to vary between individuals, this could explain the observed diferences in the effectiveness of a-tocopherol in suppressing lipid peroxidation promoted by copper. 

The major lipid-soluble antioxidant primarily associated with lipid membranes is a-tocopherol (vitamin E). Circulating a-tocopherol is carried by chylomicrons, LDL and HDL and also has extracellular antioxidant capacities. As a chain-breaking antioxidant, it short circuits the propagation phase of lipid peroxidation because the peroxyl radical will react with a-tocopherol more rapidly than a polyunsaturated ffitty acid (Burton and Traber, 1990). The resulting a-tocopheryl radical reacts with a second peroxyl radical to form an inactive, nonradical complex. In vitro, ascorbate regenerates the tocopheryl radical into its native non-radical form (Burton and Traber, 1990). 

Organic peroxides such as cumene hydroperoxide and t-butyl hydroperoxide have extensively been used as experimental agents. They provoke lipid peroxidation in hepatocytes, probably by the generation of alkoxyl and peroxyl radical intermediates after reaction with cytochrome P450. Other cytotoxic mechanisms are probably involved including protein thiol and non-protein thiol oxidation and deranged calcium homeostasis (Jewell et al., 1986). In fact, the addition of cumene hydroperoxide to isolated bUe duct cells, devoid of cytochrome P450 activity, still results in cell death but lipid peroxidation is not detectable (Parola et al., 1990). 

In case of scavenging of lipid-derived peroxyl radicals (LOO"), the radical adduct formed [LOO-CaiT is less reactive than the LOO, so carotenoids act as chain-breaking antioxidants in lipid peroxidation (Equation 15.6) ... 

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